


Mondayitis

by Laramie



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Fluff and Smut, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-07-28 23:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7661914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laramie/pseuds/Laramie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas arrives to interview Jimmy, the moderately-famous actor. Jimmy hates interviews. He quite likes his interviewer, though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the video and particularly the comments found here: http://abbys-jam-juggler.tumblr.com/post/104270534180

Jimmy sighed irritably at the knock on his trailer door. God, he hated interviews. It was by far his least favourite thing about his moderate fame, even beyond the occasional pap photo that would appear of him nipping out for a bottle of milk in his rattiest t-shirt. Interviewers always seemed to twist what he had to say into something vacuous, or over-eager, or shallow. He suspected it would only get worse as he got more famous, but perhaps by then he could become an eccentric kind of film star who lived like a hermit, never spoke to the press and only left his fabulous mansion to take girls out to fancy, discreet restaurants.

A second knock at the door interrupted this fantasy. "Hello?" came a man's voice. He had some kind of regional accent, but Jimmy hadn't yet heard enough to identify it.

Reluctantly, Jimmy pushed to his feet and went to open the door. Behind it stood a handsome man with short, dark hair, wearing a white shirt, a wonky purple tie, and a large messenger bag over his shoulder.

Not a handsome man, Jimmy hastily corrected his earlier thought. A… tall man; he was a foot lower than Jimmy, being on the ground while Jimmy was up the step in his trailer, but Jimmy could tell that he was tall.

The man's greeting smile had faltered slightly, and his eyes raked down Jimmy's body. Jimmy felt himself blush under the scrutiny, which was strange: it was years since he had been embarrassed to catch someone checking him out, no matter who it was doing the looking.

The other man met Jimmy's eyes again, only missing a beat or two before enquiring: "Jimmy Kent?"

"At your service," Jimmy responded; it was something he was trying out, a more witty yet humble-sounding answer to the query than a simple 'yep'.

"That so?" said the other man, giving Jimmy another appreciative once-over.

Jimmy instantly decided that he would not say 'at your service' to anyone else.

"Thomas Barrow," the man said abruptly, holding out a hand. "Yorkshire TV."

Jimmy shook his warm, broad hand. "Come in, then." There was little enthusiasm in Jimmy's voice, as Thomas's introduction had reminded him what they were here for.

Not that he had been hoping for anything else, Jimmy justified to himself. Just… perhaps someone who was not an entertainment correspondent for the local TV channel.

"I'll just set the camera up," Thomas said briskly once he had come inside and Jimmy had shut the door behind him. Jimmy watched as he looked calculatingly between the two windows on opposite sides of the trailer, perhaps considering lighting angles - though it was probably superfluous, as the sun would be setting soon, anyway.

"This what you want to do with your life, then?" Jimmy asked as Thomas began setting up the camera and light he had pulled from his messenger bag with the smooth movements of extreme competence. "Interviewin' people like me for little TV channels?" It had been a long day's filming, and he was too tired to watch his words too closely. Perhaps not the best state to be in for a TV interview, however local.

But Thomas Barrow gave as good as he got. "Absolutely not. I want to produce TV shows. Sit there for me a moment; I need to check the lighting on that face o' yours."

Jimmy did as he was bid, and in the silence that fell as Thomas concentrated on the viewfinder, Thomas's last remark seemed to swell bigger and louder between them. He had not actually said - well, _anything_ in particular about Jimmy's appearance, and yet something about the phrasing, or the tone of voice, recalled to Jimmy the way Thomas's gaze had felt on his body. To dispel the ghost of the remark which now seemed to be pounding in his head, Jimmy asked: "What kind of TV shows?"

Thomas made a small adjustment to the camera. He met Jimmy's eyes again. "I want to make shows about gay people." There was a touch of defiance in his voice, and Jimmy could tell that it had taken bravery for Thomas to say that, to him, a stranger. Did that mean that Thomas himself was gay?

As though he had detected Jimmy's uncertainty, Thomas went on: "I don't think my community gets enough representation."

"Oh, right," Jimmy said, feeling… perhaps relieved? It was good that the ambiguity was out of the way, that was all.

"And if we do get anything, it's always these hopeless, doomed romances at poncy film festivals. When d'you ever see - I don't know - a spacefaring superhero who just _happens_ to also be queer?"

Jimmy could not see Thomas's face as he spoke, as the would-be TV producer had turned to re-angle the light which, with its folded-out back screen, barely fitted inside the trailer. All the same, Jimmy could tell that this was something he ranted about a lot. There was passion underneath Thomas's professional façade, a sense of injustice that would, Jimmy had no doubt, propel him through every hurdle he had to jump to reach his goal.

"Captain Jack Harkness?" Jimmy suggested, in answer to the question Thomas had posed.

Smiling as he turned, Thomas, instead of taking up his position behind the camera, came to sit on the other side of the corner sofa to Jimmy, saying: "True. God bless Russell T. Davies. And god bless John Barrowman for playing him." He paused, giving Jimmy a fleeting, appraising look. "He's hot, don't you think?"

Jimmy felt slightly dizzy. "Isn't he married?" he pointed out, to avoid answering, because he _did_ think John Barrowman was hot but that was just an objective assessment, wasn't it; it didn't mean he was _gay_.

Only… he _was_ \- or he was bi, anyway, and the way Thomas's body was inclining towards him, leaning towards him, made Jimmy want to climb into his lap -

Jimmy quickly shut down that line of thinking, refocussing on Thomas's words; he was saying: "Mmm, Scott," as though he was contemplating a particularly yummy piece of Mrs Patmore's sticky toffee pudding; Mrs Patmore was the location caterer. "They're adorable," Thomas added, a gentle kind of borrowed happiness on his face, and Jimmy found himself thinking: _**You're**_ _adorable._

Belatedly, Jimmy wondered if he ought not to have displayed his knowledge of the personal life of one of only two openly gay actors he was aware of - the other being Neil Patrick-Harris.

But Thomas was hardly likely to judge him.

And Thomas's intelligent eyes were a very pretty shade of grey.

Jimmy fidgeted in his seat as he realised how badly he wanted to see those red lips twisted with pleasure. How badly _he_ , Jimmy, wanted to be the cause of that pleasure.

Thomas got to his feet, gesturing at the camera. He seemed embarrassed by how open he had been as he said: "Well, er -"

That was all he could get out before Jimmy, who had jumped to his feet only seconds after Thomas had risen, was standing right next to Thomas and hooking his hands behind Thomas's neck and begging urgently: "Let me kiss you."

By way of answer, Thomas leaned in and pressed his mouth against Jimmy's with no hesitation. First he kissed Jimmy's top lip, then the lower, then his hands were caressing Jimmy's lower back and Jimmy was groaning and grinding against him.

Jimmy held Thomas's head and thought _yes, this, this_ , though even he was not sure what he meant. He reached for Thomas's tie, fumbling with it - Jimmy himself had not worn one since school, and even that had been a clip-on - but Thomas helped him. Once it was loose enough, Thomas pulled the tie over his head, discarding it on the floor.

Jimmy had a brief glimpse of Thomas's gorgeous face, red lips slightly swollen, arousal colouring his cheeks, before he planted his mouth back on Thomas's. He never wanted to leave these lips, these roaming hands, this body flush against his.

Jimmy began to walk backwards, and they headed for the bedroom at the back of the trailer, shedding their clothes as they stumbled on.

They shut the door on the camera, whose red light blinked in readiness, waiting for someone to turn it green.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Jimmy had mixed feelings about being awoken the next morning. On the one hand, he had had to get up at 3am the day before, so he was tired and annoyed that his planned lie-in was being interrupted. On the other hand, the cause of his awakening was a gentle kiss from a pair of very soft lips.

Opening his eyes revealed the handsome interviewer from the day before - Thomas. A man. The barest flicker of panic flared inside Jimmy, but he had barely registered its existence when it was extinguished by Thomas's slightly shy smile.

"Wakey-wakey," said Thomas quietly.

"Wha'satime?"

"Eight-thirty. D'you want a coffee or anything?"

Jimmy wasn't sure whether he was more offended by the hour or the fact that Thomas was offering him Jimmy's own drinks. "I want to go back to _sleep_ ," he groaned, covering his face with both hands.

"Sorry," Thomas said, sounding genuine. "It's just… We never got to doing that interview."

Not that he hadn't asked plenty of questions the night before, Jimmy thought. But all of those had required little more than a 'yes' as an answer and none of them had been fit for public broadcast.

"What are you smiling at?" Thomas asked.

Dropping his hands from his face, Jimmy took hold of one of Thomas's long-fingered hands and tugged feebly. "Come back to bed. 'Stoo early."

Thomas seemed to try and fail to suppress a smile. "Tonight, if I can - if you want. But now we have things to do." Their hands were still clasped together, so Thomas raised Jimmy's to his lips to kiss it before using it to persuade Jimmy out of bed.

Jimmy let himself be dragged up, not convinced he would manage to get back to sleep now anyway. He was still stark-naked; even as Thomas backed out of the room, his gaze drifted over Jimmy's bared, slightly goosebumpy skin. "I'll be in the other room when you're ready," Thomas said, and closed the door between them.

Sighing irritably, Jimmy wondered just how Thomas might react if he insisted on doing the interview in his birthday suit. Better not. All the same, he only put a token effort into choosing his clothes and although he brushed his teeth, he barely ran his fingers though his hair, hoping that it would look like a deliberate bedhead rather than a genuine one.

It was strange, but Jimmy felt a bit sheepish when he went through the door to see Thomas impeccably dressed (in last night's suit), looking very professional stood behind the camera with a steaming mug in one hand and his phone in the other. Jimmy couldn't help but feel rather shabby in comparison. He was still somewhat in awe at himself for making a move on this man, however obvious Thomas had been the night before.

Now, Thomas quickly stowed his mobile in his pocket and flashed Jimmy a smile. "A drink before we begin, Mr Kent?"

Blowing air through his lips, Jimmy dropped onto the sofa with Thomas and the camera in front of him. All of his muscles felt pleasantly sore. He tried to sit up straight, but he was nervous, and wound up leaning his forearm on his knee. "Let's just get it done."

"Alright," Thomas agreed, making some adjustment on the camera. The little light on top turned green. "We're rolling. Why don't you start with saying hello?"

"Feel like a prat in interviews," Jimmy admitted, not looking at Thomas.

"I'll look after you. Just introduce yourself, okay?"

To cover his discomfort, Jimmy began in a silly, breathy voice: "Hey! I'm -" and that was all he could get out before they were both taken over by chuckles. Jimmy collapsed against the back of the sofa, covering his embarrassment with his hand.

"Good job this isn't live," Thomas teased, winking. "Look, forget about the camera - forget it's an interview - pretend you're just introducing yourself to me."

Jimmy leaned his cheek against his knuckles. He looked up at Thomas and immediately felt himself relaxing. "Hey," he said to Thomas. "I'm Jimmy Kent and I'm currently filming for John's Mountain. Which is a story about a group of friends climbing a sodding mountain and doesn't have nearly enough gayness for my interviewer's taste."

Smirking, Thomas shook his head at Jimmy. "Maybe I'll just cut after the film title, eh? So what can you tell us about this film and your character's role?"

Jimmy responded by blowing a half-hearted raspberry.

"I'm rolling," Thomas reminded him.

"Can't we go back to bed? I'm sure you'd like it." Jimmy let his head tip slightly to one side, deliberately exposing the neck Thomas had paid such attention to the night before in an attempt to distract him.

"I only need 30 seconds to put on," Thomas insisted doggedly. "C'mon, concentrate. And try not to look quite so much like you just got shagged."

Jimmy let a slow, dark smirk spread over his face. "Not my fault you're so very _good_ at it."

Thomas immediately turned pink; the blush showed up strongly on his pale skin. He looked thrilled with the comment, and seemed suddenly unable to look at Jimmy.

"I know why you want to be a producer," Jimmy said suddenly, the insight coming to him in a rush. "You want to write your own happy endings, don't you?"

There was no reaction to what Jimmy felt was a stunning piece of wisdom, though the colour on Thomas's face darkened further. "What's your character's role in the film?" Thomas asked again, making what Jimmy would have put money on being unnecessary adjustments to the camera.

"I play Mark, John's best friend," Jimmy said, relenting. "Mark's the one who's really egging John on to do as much as he can before his illness gets too much."

"And what would you say is the main theme of the film?"

Having been coached on what to say (and what he was not allowed to say) in interviews, Jimmy knew exactly what the answer _should_ be, but saying it made him feel silly. "Hope," he said listlessly. "And all the amazing things it can lead us to do, even in seemingly hopeless situations." He hesitated, before giving Thomas-the-man a more honest answer than he could give Thomas-the-interviewer. "But I think it's more about making the most of the life you have, because you never know when it'll be over. Living according to what you want." Jimmy gave Thomas a quick wink. "And I want to go back to bed."

Thomas seemed amused by Jimmy's determination to avoid the interview, but his stubbornness was at least a match for Jimmy's own. "Are there any of your co-stars you were particularly pleased to be working with?"

Jimmy had to suppress his instinctive reaction, which was 'they're all useless, especially Alfred, who probably only got the job because he looks ill already'. He decided to save that to say to Thomas privately, and searched for something more diplomatic for the telly. "Andy Parker's done some good stuff before this. And Ivy Stuart, she's stunning, she plays my character's girlfriend. She'll be a star, I'm sure."

"Thank you, Jimmy Kent, filming for John's Mountain which will be out next July. This is Thomas Barrow for Yorkshire TV. Say goodbye, Jimmy."

But Jimmy had recognised the dismissal and stood, pausing only to blow another raspberry at the camera. He sidled around it and grabbed Thomas's hips, walking backwards to drag the interviewer along with him. "Now we're going to bed," he said, in time with his footsteps. Thomas fumbled to turn off the camera before he was dragged away from it but otherwise only followed along, a hungry look in his eyes. "And you can see how I look after gettin' shagged in the mornin', too. I want to get you naked and beautiful -"

"- I'm not a girl," Thomas protested.

"Naked and handsome, then, and all warm and cosy and sleepy in the blanket…" It was difficult to keep from kissing Thomas, but Jimmy wanted to save it for just a little longer.

"I've got work…" Thomas said feebly.

Jimmy stopped walking, now framed by the doorway into his bedroom. Thomas walked into him, and before he could restore a distance between them, Jimmy felt Thomas's need against his abdomen. "Bunk off," Jimmy said, trying not to sound pleading. "Just for a bit."

They stared at each other in silent stand-off. Then Thomas smiled, and it was as though the sun had broken through. "Okay."

"Good," Jimmy grinned, resuming his reversed walk into his bedroom and tugging Thomas with him, this time pressing their hips flush against each other.

Thomas leaned in for a kiss and Jimmy responded with great enthusiasm, right up until he found another use for his mouth.


End file.
